Since the US pivot to Asia strategy and its implementation in the Indo-Pacific in 2010, China has tried to look for ways to break through this containment circle over its head. China’s Silk Road Economic Belt concept was introduced by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Kazakhstan in September 2013. In a speech delivered at Nazarbayev University, the president suggested that China and Central Asia cooperate to build a Silk Road Economic Belt. It was the first time that the Chinese leadership mentioned the strategic vision. Then, President Xi proposed building a close-knit China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) community and offered guidance on constructing a Twenty-First Century Maritime Silk Road to promote maritime cooperation later in October 2013. In his speech at the Indonesian parliament, President Xi also proposed establishing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to finance infrastructure construction and promote regional interconnectivity and economic integration. China also unveiled the concept for the Twenty-First Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) as a development strategy to boost infrastructure connectivity throughout Southeast Asia, Oceania, the Indian Ocean, and East Africa. The MSR is the maritime complement to the Silk Road Economic Belt, which focuses on infrastructure development across Central Asia (Green, March 2018).